Excuse #12

Did anyone else watch Biggest Loser’s season finale this past week? They showed a preview for the new season that starts in January. The theme of this next season is NO EXCUSES. I heard the new contestants giving their excuses for why they haven’t done anything about their weight loss  and I had to laugh because we have already discussed those excuses here.

So lets not waste any time and just get to another excuse to debunk.

Excuse #12- I can’t eat healthy because my kids won’t eat it. They just want fast food from (insert name of restaurant) and they will go hungry if I don’t buy it.

The truth is we love the convenience of just running through a restaurant and not actually taking the time to grocery shop, prepare the meal, sit down and eat and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards. We work hard all week and running through for fast food is an easy fix for the hunger but not for the healthy body.

Feeding children fast food is not healthy and as parents we have a responsibility to make sure that they are given foods that nourish and help it grow to be strong. Taste is acquired. If you choose to eat healthy after doing so for about a year you will notice the things that you ate before don’t taste as good as you recalled them tasting. You will suddenly be aware of the oils and staleness of things you previously loved.

This goes for children too.  They will grow to like healthy foods if they are given these things on a regular basis. Just yesterday Caleb was over visiting and I made chimichungas and was a bit worried about how he would like them. He looked at it and said, “I don’t like that.” I told him he had to try 2 bites of it. He bartered for 1 bite but I stood my ground and enforced the 2 bite rule. Guess what? He loved it. He ate almost an entire chimichunga all by himself.

Since I started this journey I have introduced Caleb to food that to me seemed unusual because I hadn’t grown up eating these items.  He is a very well balanced kid and enjoys asparagus or blueberries with coconut milk over them.  That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get the occasional fast food but he doesn’t feel that he has to have it at every meal.  By changing our habits we also change the habits of others in the home.

The bottom line is if you only buy healthy food that is what will be eaten.  You may have some complaining at first but stick to your ground and it will work out in the end.

Excuse #11

It is Monday so it is time for another excuse to not eat healthy.

Excuse #11- It is Christmas so I DESERVE to have some of the goodies. It won’t hurt me to have it now. I can start over after the holidays are over and I will be just fine.

Diabetes doesn’t go away just because it is Christmas. If you want to eat a treat make it a smart one. There are millions of low carb recipes all over the web. You don’t need to eat the sugary fruitcake just because you want a treat. It is all about choices.  Make them smart ones.

Excuse #10

It is time for Mondays excuse.

Excuse #10- Insulin was created for me to be able to eat whatever I want.

Can you believe that I have actually heard people say this? Having a blood glucose that constantly spikes up and down is very hard on your body. Having high glucose levels can damage your heart,  blood vessels and kidneys. It can lead to blindness and often leg amputation.

Now many people will always have to take insulin no matter how well they eat. My sister is one of these people. She is a type 1 Diabetic and on insulin. She eats very low carb, is very thin and does everything that has been asked of her. She is what is often called a Brittle Diabetic.

Type 2 Diabetics like myself often have an easier time controlling their Diabeties but not always. That doesn’t mean that you should just eat all of the high carb sugary items and expect to just take the insulin to keep your levels down. If you can control your Diabetes with diet and exercise by all means you should try. Your body will thank you and you will live longer and remain more active longer.

Excuse #9

It is Monday so to begin a new week we get another excuse out of the way and get down to facts as to why eating healthy is important and possible for you.

Excuse #9- I already blew it with breakfast and ate XYZ so I might as well just eat what I want today and start over tomorrow.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Just because you blew it for one meal and now your glucose is through the roof does NOT mean that you should continue to push yourself towards an early stroke for the rest of the day.

Exercise and drink water and get back with the program.  You need to get that glucose back down to a level that you can live with. Because in the end we are doing this to live life. Not just watch it. We want to LIVE!

Excuse #7

Since I have been getting some positive feedback on the excuses post here is another.

Excuse #7- I can’t eat this way because I don’t like vegetables!

HMMM? Can you see my head spinning around completely? I heard this one this week too.  The fact is desserts taste better than vegetables. I will agree with you on this one. That doesn’t mean to completely write off all vegetables. If you begin eating healthy you will actually get used to the taste of vegetables.  That doesn’t mean that you will prefer them to desserts but you will be satisfied with them.

Try starting out small.  Make a stir fry that has your favorite meat in it and add a bit of a vegetable. If it has a marinade or a sauce on it you can disguise the vegetables. Make a casserole and add a bit of a vegetable in with it. When you make the low carb enchilada add some spinach to it.  With all of the flavor of the sauce and cheese you won’t even notice the spinach is there.

After a while you will be able to eat them on the side without being disguised.  If I am eating vegetables that I don’t absolutely love I try to eat them quickly and then move onto the other items on my plate that I do love. That way the wonderful flavor is the one that I leave the table with and not the bland one.

Try choosing vegetable recipes that have cheese or bacon or both in it. I believe most things taste better with cheese or bacon. My son-in-law calls bacon meat candy and I have to agree.

I found another quote on pinterest that I think applies to this excuse. I will leave you today with this thought.

Excuse #6

Good morning. It is Monday so it is time for another excuse to dispel.

Excuse #6- I can’t eat low carb because I don’t know how to cook!

Really? Really? I heard this excuse twice this past week. First of all EVERYONE can cook. You simply choose not to cook. If you are making this excuse you simply are choosing to continue down the path that you have been going. Cooking isn’t difficult. It can be enjoyable if you choose it to be.

You don’t have to spend your life cooking daily either. I don’t. For your lunches you can make a large recipe and divide it into single portions and freeze it. Each day grab one and take it to work with you. Heat it in the microwave. I can easily cook once and have enough meals for 2 weeks of lunches for work. If you have one serving of something left over from dinner put it in a single serving container and add it to your freezer stash of meals. This allows you to mix it up if you don’t want the same thing for lunch everyday.

Not being able to cook isn’t a viable excuse. Even when we had to remodel our kitchen after losing it during a huge water leak I still cooked. I used crock-pots and my outdoor grill.  You can do it. You have to want to make the change.

Excuse #5

Another excuse to dispel. We really have to remove excuses from our minds and our vocabulary because once you say it you are claiming it. Lets put excuses out of our lives. Obtaining a healthy mind and body is possible. You just have to take the mindset that I can instead of I can’t.

Excuse #5- I am too old to change now. I have been eating/living this way for so long now that it is too late for me.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

One of my favorite quotes is from CS Lewis.

I have an aunt in Mississippi who is in her 70s and a couple of years ago she decided to get healthy and she made the necessary changes to accomplish this. She has lost a tremendous amount of weight and is enjoying life. She still works and she travels quite a bit. I love her spunk and determination. Despite losing her husband of more than 50 years she didn’t let it stop her. She knows that she will see him again and until that time she is living life and getting everything out of that she can.

I want to be like her. I want to live my life to the fullest and never stop learning and experiencing new things. I can only do that if I am healthy in both mind and body. Lets do this together. We CAN do this!!

Excuse # 4

It is Monday so it is time to end another excuse not to get healthy.

Excuse # 4:  I can’t exercise because I don’t live near a gym? Can’t afford to go to a gym?

HMMM!! Who says you have to go to a gym to exercise? Do this. Put on your shoes and coat. Walk to your front door. Open it. Go outside and WALK! It is completely free and it is always available at any time. It never closes and you won’t have to put up with some supermodel glistening with perfect hair and nails on the machine beside you. That is an added plus for me.

For years I used the excuse that I couldn’t walk near my home because we lived in a rural area and didn’t have sidewalks. If you have ever been to WV you know the roads are windy and narrow and I would use this as an excuse. Never mind that I passed joggers and walkers daily I stuck my nose in the air and said that I couldn’t do it because it wasn’t safe. That was an excuse and I can no longer use it.

I now walk outside my door and if I follow the same rules that apply for bike riding it is a safe environment. You walk going towards the traffic so that you can see them coming and they can see you. It is a win win situation for both drivers and walkers.  Dress comfortably and if it is dark you wear light colors and try adding reflective tape to your clothing if possible.

Another safety tip that I heard on Oprah once. Ladies if you want to listen to music while walking don’t use earplugs. You need to be able to hear someone walking up behind you. Avoid walking past large bushes or in blind spots. Don’t walk closely beside a vehicle where you can be pulled into the car. If at all possible walk with a friend (especially when dark).

Afraid to walk outside alone? Do you have stairs in your home? Try walking up and down them repeatedly for a workout. Get a Zumba video and do it in your living room. This will get your heart going and other than the initial $20 you are set for years.

Try grabbing the kids and take them geocaching in the park. They won’t realize that they are exercising and the entire family will get a workout and share memories together.

What ways can you think of to exercise without spending money?

Excuse #3

Time to put another excuse out of the way.

Excuse #3- I don’t want to sacrifice ANYTHING so I am not. I am going to live life to the fullest.

I was watching  a reality TV show the other day and I saw a young man make that statement. The show is Downsized and it is on the WE Channel. The show is about a family who had a very good income and due to the economy they are forced to downsize and are struggling. This is the second marriage for both of the parents and they merged their families to now have a family of 9.

One of their sons is in high school and has high blood pressure and was told he needed to lose weight and exercise. He also wasn’t taking his medication for the high blood pressure. His brothers took him out running and he stopped along the way to buy himself a treat from the ice cream truck they were passing. This is where he made the statement above.

The truth is no matter what we do in live we make sacrifices in other areas to do it. For instance if you want to own a pet you give up some of the freedom to run around in the evenings after work because your pet needs walked/fed/played with. You make that sacrifice for the joy of owning a pet.

If you have children you sacrifice just being able to jump up and go out of town with your husband at the drop of a hat. The child is put first in your life and you do so willingly because you love that child.

So if you CHOOSE to not eat healthy you are CHOOSING to sacrifice your health and ultimately years on your life. It all comes down to what is important to you.  When I was overweight I made many sacrifices in order to be that way. I didn’t participate in family activities such as rock-climbing, hiking and playing basketball in the driveway. I pretended as if I didn’t mind taking the pictures while they did these things but the truth is I couldn’t physically keep up. I was sacrificing those moments and memories for the sake of foods that were killing me.

Are you making this excuse?

Excuse #2

Another round of no more excuses for not eating low carb.

Excuse # 2- Eating healthy is so much more expensive. I hear this one DAILY. It comes down to what is most important to you. Your health should be one of your top priorities. You only have one body and one life. Make it count!

Eating healthy really isn’t more expensive if you stop and think about it. Usually the person who tells me that they can’t afford to eat healthy are the ones who carry in the McDonald’s bags for breakfast each day and are always walking around with a Starbucks cup in their hands.

Considering I seldom ever eat out, I carry my refillable water bottle with me, and I don’t eat junk food between meals my grocery bill is probably cheaper than yours.

Think of it this way. Add up your grocery bill and your eating out receipts and see how much that comes to. Two weeks ago I spent $57 on groceries and had enough to last me another week with the exception of yogurt, sour cream and Mike’s milk. My groceries this week are less than $20. 

How much are you spending on your  fast food, Starbucks and plain junk food? I guarantee you that eating healthy can be cheaper for you and it is definitely healthier for you.

Since eating healthy I am no longer spending $40 a month on high blood pressure medication. I no longer need it.

I gave up eating in the cafeteria at work and saved more than $370 a year by packing my own lunch and it is healthier and tastes better too! 

I challenge you to total up all of your purchases this week and see how much you are spending by eating out, grabbing things out of machines and designer coffees. Now figure out how much it will be to purchase fresh produce, meat and dairy products without purchasing junk food and in between meal snacks (which we don’t need)  and lets see which is more expensive.

Come on over to the healthier side. You will LOVE it here.